

‘8½': Federico Fellini's Daring, Self-Reflexive Masterpiece as
...
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(https://cinephiliabeyond.org/)
‘8½':
Federico Fellini's Daring, Self-Re�exive
Masterpiece as a Most
Intimate
Exploration of Cinema
By Sven Mikulec
Working in the film business all the way
since the forties, when he started
out writing screenplays and soon
apprenticing for the great
Roberto
Rossellini, Federico Fellini
achieved a major international
breakthrough with his 1960 Palme
d'Or winner La Dolce Vita, a
brilliant
study of the contemporary Roman
social elite and the celebrity
culture as a whole. What
followed was the troublesome,
paralyzing
experience of trying to find
an answer to that
crucial question familiar to
all artists who manage to
achieve their
breakthrough
and gain much-craved
recognition: what next?
He was on top of the
world. After this
enormous success,
Fellini felt he
needed
to make a far more
personal film, to
turn his gaze from
his surroundings to
himself, but
couldn't quite
decide what the next
project
should be about.
It was actually
as early as
autumn
1960 that
the filmmaker
started
developing the
idea for his new
feature,
an
idea of a
man
struggling
to deal with
his problems
and move on
with his
life, first
and foremost
a comical
story of a
person
trying
to
come to
terms
with the
banality
of his
life and
the
obstacles
in
his profession.
Fellini
couldn't
figure
out who
this man
was
supposed
to
be,
toying
with
the
idea
of
making
his
hero
a
disillusioned
writer
or
theatrical
impresario.
He
finally
settled
on
making
him
a
filmmaker,
slightly
reluctant
as
he
was
aware
what
kind
of
parallels
the
audience
and
the
critics
were
bound
to
draw.
The
obviously
autobiographical
and
highly
personal
result
of
these
musings
was 8
1/2,
an
intriguing,
honest,
intellectually
stimulating
comedy
drama
which
is
now
considered
one
of
the
landmarks
of
the
20th-century
cinema.
Fellini
not
only
succeeded
in
not
disappointing
the
audience
whose
attention
he
got
thanks
to La
Dolce
Vita,
but
created
probably
the
best
and
most
intimate
film
on
the
subject
of
filmmaking
ever
made.
The
connection
between
the film's
protagonist,
a
filmmaker
called
Guido
Anselmi,
who
is
unsure
of
what
to
do
with
a
science-fiction
epic
he
had
prepared
to
make,
and
Fellini
himself
was
more
than
obvious
even
to
the
least
perceptive
viewers,
just
like
it's
safe
to
assume
Guido's
anxiety,
insecurities
and
struggles
with
inspiration
were
Fellini's
own.
“When
I
said
I
didn't
even
know
what
the
plot
was,
journalists
thought
I
was
telling
one
of
my
habitual
lies,”
explained
Fellini
later.
“Instead,
for
me,
it
was
the
truth.”
Fellini
sorted
his
next
film
out
in
his
head,
set
it
up,
but
then
couldn't
go on
making
it
because
he
“couldn't
remember
the
story
anymore.”
From
the
torturous
creative
block,
however,
an
original,
self-reflexive,
thoughtful
movie
was
born.
This
“fantastic,
enchanted
ballet,
a
magical
kaleidoscope,” as
the
filmmaker
described
it,
was
developed
from
the
idea
Fellini
struggled
with
for
years,
but
ended
up
written
in
a
collaborative
effort
by
Fellini,
Ennio
Flaiano,
Tullio
Pinelli
and
Brunello
Rondi,
with
Nino
Rota's musical
score(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVa4slCsVEI) and
a
fantastic
lead
performance
from
Marcelo
Mastroianni
as
the
troubled
artist.
Although
initially
considering
to
call
it La
bella
confusione (The
Beautiful
Confusion)
on
co-writer
Flaiano's
suggestion,
Fellini
finally
landed
on 8
1/2,
as
he
felt
it
was
more
appropriate
keeping
in
mind
the
autobiographical
aspect
of
the
film.
By
the
time
he
started
making
it,
Fellini
had
already
made
six
feature
films,
two
short
films
and
shared
one
directorial
credit
with
Alberto
Lattuada,
which
was
altogether,
according
to
Fellini's
peculiar
counting,
seven
and
a
half
pictures.
The
chosen
title
further
advocates
the
thesis
the
picture
was
the
most
personal
one
a
filmmaker
can
really
make.
The
brilliant
part
of 8
1/2 is
not
just
that
it's
a
touching
and
passionate
exploration
of
filmmaking
in
general,
but
that
the
movie
deals
with
its
own
creation,
as
Guido
Anselmi
conducts
screen
1
of
17
4/30/22,
14:44
‘8½':
Federico
Fellini's
Daring,
Self-Reflexive
Masterpiece
as
...
https://cinephiliabeyond.org/8%C2%BD-federico-fellinis-dari...
tests
for
roles
in
the
very
film
he's
a
part
of,
just
like
Fellini's
camera
placement
helps
stress
the
inseparability
of
the
portrayed
filmmaker
and
the
filmmaker
creating
the
portrait.
Enchanting,
sometimes
a
bit
befuddling
but
in
the
best
way
possible,
the
film
is
an
intoxicating
dance
between
reality
and
imagination,
carried
by
Mastroianni
with
the
help
of
the
wonderful
Anouk
Aimée,
Sandra
Milo
and
Claudia
Cardinale,
with
confident
and
imaginative
camera
movements
handled
by
Fellini
and
cinematographer(http://www.cinematographers.nl/GreatDoPh/di%20venanzo.htm) Gianni
di
Venanzo,
whose
work
with
Michelangelo
Antonioni,
Francesco
Rosi
and
Fellini
made
him
one
of
the
leading
European
masters
of
the
camera
of
the
middle
part
of
the
century.
Fellini's
film
was
shown
out
of
competition
at
Cannes
in
April
1963,
and
in
July
it
won
the
Grand
Prix
of
the
Third
Moscow
International
Film
Festival,
where
eight
thousand
people
attended
the
screening.
Its deserved
recognition(https://cinefiles.bampfa.berkeley.edu/cinefiles
/FilmDetail?filmId=pfafilm24275) also
came
from
across
the
Atlantic,
as 8
1/2 received
Academy
Awards
in
the
Best
Foreign
Film
and
Best
Costume
Design
categories,
with
additional
nominations
for
the
director,
screenplay
and
art
direction.
The
critics
loved
it,
and
still
continue
to
show
their
appreciation
of
Fellini's
vision,
execution
and
the
bravery
needed
to
bare
his
soul
like
this.
It's
no
surprise
that
some
of
the
fiercest
advocates
of 8
1/2 come
from
the
filmmaking
sphere.
The
great
Guillermo
del
Toro,
for
instance,
stated
he
felt
the
film
“speaks
as
much
about
life
as
it
does
about
art,”
calling
it
“a
lustful,
sweaty,
gluttonous
poem
to
cinema.”
When
it
comes
from
the
mouth
of
one
of
the
most
original
authors
of
today's
cinema,
it
carries
a
certain
weight,
but
del
Toro's
appraisal
is
just
the
tip
of
the
iceberg. 8
1/2 is
an
introspective,
daring
masterpiece
conducted
by
a
true,
irreplaceable
maestro.
A
monumentally
important
screenplay.
Screenwriter
must-read:
Federico
Fellini,
Ennio
Flaiano,
Tullio
Pinelli
&
Brunello
Rondi's
continuity
screenplay
for 8
1/2 [PDF(https://www.dropbox.com/s/fyi9bqiofygf6dg/8%C2%BD-Continuity-Script.pdf?raw=1)].
(NOTE: For
educational
and
research
purposes
only).
The
DVD/Blu-ray
of
the
film
is
available
from
the Criterion
Collection(https://www.criterion.com/films/150-8).
Absolutely
our
highest
recommendation.
While
in
Rome,
Studs
Terkel
interviews
Federico
Fellini
on
the
set
of
his
film 8
1/2.
The
director
gives
insight
into
his
works,
his
credo,
and
his
faith
in
man.
Terkel
probes
into
the
recurring
theme
of
all
his
films
and
delves
into
Fellini's
creation
of
the
character
of
Steiner
from La
Dolce
Vita.
Along
with
this
interview,
excerpts
from
conversations
with
the
following
people
are
included:
Italian
actor
Marcello
Mastroianni,
French
actor
Alain
Cuny,
the
writer
Nelson Algren,
and
Fellini's
associate
Mario
Del
Vecchio.
All
provide
their
interpretations
as
to
why
the
character
of
Steiner
did
what
he
did
in La
Dolce
Vita.
—Fellini
talks
with
Studs
Terkel
on
WFMT;
1962,
The
Studs
Terkel
Radio
Archive(https://www.popuparchive.com/collections/938/items/6915)
Federico
Fellini
by
Oriana
Fallaci.
Look,
Signor
Fellini,
the
respectable
lawyer
might
recognize
himself
in
Guido
all
right,
but
the
fact
remains
that
Guido
is
Fellini.
Come
on,
it's
like
a
last
will
and
testament,
that
movie,
a
final
reckoning—leaving
aside
the
fact
that
making
a
final
reckoning
of
one's
life
at
the
age
of forty-three
seems
to
me
to
be
rather
too
early.
Why?
Better
to
make
it
early
than
late,
when
there's
no
longer
time
to
change anything.
At
forty-three
it's
not
a
bit
too
soon
to
make
a
reckoning
of
one's
own
life.
That's
exactly
why
the
movie
did
me
so
much
good.
I
feel
somehow
liberated
now,
and
with
a
great
urge
to
work.
The
movie—8
1/2—is
like
my
last
will
and
testament,
you're
right,
and
yet
I
don't
feel
drained.
On
the
contrary,
it
enriched
me.
If
it
were
up
to
me.
I'd
start
making
another tomorrow
morning.
Honestly.
And
of
course if
they
say.
“How
clever.
Fellini,
what
talent.”
it
gives
me
a
lot
of
pleasure.
But
it
isn't
compliments
I'm
looking
for
with 8
1/2.
I
want…
I
want
this
feeling
of
liberation
to
communicate
itself
to
anyone
who
goes
to
see
it.
so
that
after
seeing
it
people
should
feel
more
free,
should
have
a
presentiment
of
something
joyful…
Good
Lord
Signor
Fellini,
don't
try
to
tell
me
you care
about
the
people
who
go
to
see
your
movie.
If
there's
a
man
who
2
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17
4/30/22,
14:44

‘8½':
Federico
Fellini's
Daring,
Self-Reflexive
Masterpiece
as
...
https://cinephiliabeyond.org/8%C2%BD-federico-fellinis-dari...
couldn't
care
less
about
his
neighbor
and
is
devoid
of
evangelical
spirit,
it's
you.
Let's
drop
it,
for
goodness'
sake,
and
concentrate
on
the
important
admission:
the
reckoning
you
make
in 8
1/2 is
a
reckoning
of
your
own
life
and
not
of
some
imaginary
person.
Ugh,
what
a
little
pest.
What
do
you
want
me
to
say.
So many
things…
of
course…
are
true.
What
happens
in
the movie
has
happened
to
me
to
a
certain
extent…
There
was
a
moment
when
I
no
longer
knew
what
to
do,
could
no
longer
remember
a
thing.
I
would
work
with
Flajano,
Pinelli,
Rondi,
without
any
conviction.
I
had
the
Saraghina
episode,
the
one
about
the
cardinal.
But
they
were
isolated
things,
floating
in
the
void,
and
I
could
no
longer
remember
a
thing,
honestly.
The
production
team
used
to
stand
there,
looking
at
me
with
imploring,
suspicious
eyes,
and
I
had
a
strong
desire
to
say
to
the
producer.
“Let's
drop
it,
let's
forget
about
making
this
movie.''
Then
it
appeared
to
me
that
my
bewilderment
was
perhaps
an
invitation,
help
from
some
invisible
collaborator
who
was
saying
to
me:
“Tell
the
truth,
tell
about
this.''
And
so
I got
the
idea
of
making
a
movie
about
a
director
who
wants
to
make
a
movie
and
can
no
longer
remember
what
it
is
about.
Yes,
Guido
Anselmi
is
only
experiencing
what
I
also
partly
experienced
in
this
movie.
And
the
conclusion,
if
you
can
call
it
a
conclusion,
is
this:
we
must
never
strain
ourselves
trying
to
understand,
but try
to
feel,
with
abandon.
We
must
accept
ourselves
for
what
we
are:
this
is
what
I
am,
and
this
is
what
I'm
content to
be.
I
want
to
stop
building
myths
around
myself,
I
want
to
see
myself
as
I
am:
a
liar,
incoherent,
hypocritical,
cowardly…
I
want
to
have
done
with
making
problems
out
of
life:
I
want
to
put
myself
in
a
position
where
I
can
love
life,
where
I
can
love
everything.
I'm
still
talking
about
Guido,
of
course…
And
after
all
Saint
Augustine
said
the
same thing,
“Love,
and
do
what
you
want.''
Well,
he
didn't
put
it
like
that
exactly,
but
more
or
less…
—Federico
Fellini
by
Oriana
Fallaci(http://scrapsfromtheloft.com/2016/10/25/famous-italian-director-eng/)
Another
magnificent
interview
with
Fellini,
courtesy
of
Huntley
Film
Archives.
Open
YouTube
video(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odA3CWExhp8)
Fellini
attached
a
note
to
himself
below
the
camera's
eyepiece
which
read,
“Remember,
this
is
a
comedy.”
A
joy
to
watch:
8
minutes
on
the
set
of
Fellini's 8
1/2.
3
of
17
4/30/22,
14:44


‘8½':
Federico
Fellini's
Daring,
Self-Reflexive
Masterpiece
as
...
https://cinephiliabeyond.org/8%C2%BD-federico-fellinis-dari...
Open
YouTube
video(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQmk5iswsyc)
FELLINI:
A
DIRECTOR'S
NOTEBOOK
(1969)
Fellini
discusses
his
views
of
making
motion
pictures
and
his
unorthodox
procedures.
He
seeks
inspiration
in
various
out
of
the
way
places.
During
this
film
viewers
go
with
him
to
the
Colisseum
at
night,
on
a
subway
ride
past
Roman
ruins,
to
the
Appian
Way,
to
a
slaughterhouse,
and
on
a
visit
to
Marcello
Mastroianni's
house.
Fellini
also
is
seen
in
his
own
office
interviewing
a
series
of
unusual
characters
seeking
work
or
his
help.
Open
Vimeo
video(https://vimeo.com/24408684)
Federico
Fellini
originally
intended
for 8
1/2 to
end
with
a
surreal
sequence
in
a
train
car-sets
were
built
and
footage
was
shot,
but
all
that
remains
are
still
photographs.
From
this
starting
point,
Mario
Sesti's
fifty-two-minute
documentary details
the
story
of
that
original
ending
and
how
it
came
to
be
replaced.
4
of
17
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14:44

‘8½':
Federico
Fellini's
Daring,
Self-Reflexive
Masterpiece
as
...
https://cinephiliabeyond.org/8%C2%BD-federico-fellinis-dari...
FELLINI:
I'M
A
BORN
LIAR
(2002)
A
look
at
Fellini's
creative
process.
In
extensive
interviews,
Fellini
talks
a
bit
about
his
background
and
then
discusses
how
he
works
and
how
he
creates.
Several
actors,
a
producer,
a
writer,
and
a
production
manager
talk
about
working
with
Fellini.
Archive
footage
of
Fellini
and
others
on
the
set
plus
clips
from
his
films
provide
commentary
and
illustration
for
the
points
interviewees
make.
Fellini
is
fully
in
charge;
actors
call
themselves
puppets.
He
dismisses
improvisation
and
calls
for
“availability.”
His
sets
and
his
films
create
images
that
look
like
reality
but
are
not;
we
see
the
differences
and
the
results.
1965 Playboy interview(https://www.dropbox.com/s/aq7g3nnlk8gan2j/Marcello%20Mastroianni%20by%20Playboy%201965.pdf?raw=1) with
Marcello
Mastroianni
during
the
early
days
of
the
cultural
revolution.
For
35
of
his
40
years, Marcello
Mastroianni
was
a
name
virtually
unknown
(and
certainly
unpronounced)
outside
of
Italy,
where
he
had
earned
something
of
a
reputation
as
a
promising
actor
on
the
Roman
stage,
and
as
a
competent,
if
unsensational,
second
lead
in
third-rate
Italian
movies.
Then,
in
1960,
filmmaker
Federico
Fellini
decided
that
Mastroianni's
rather
dissipated
good
looks
and
worldly
ways
would
be
perfect
for
the
part
of
a
sensitive
but
weak-willed
Roman
journalist
who
ends
up
a
member
of
the
decadent
café
society
he
sets
out to
sensationalize
in
print.
Fellini
was
right.
The
picture
was La
Dolce
Vita,
and
it
made
Mastroianni,
in
his
45th
film,
a
major
matinee
idol
almost
overnight.
Though
still
tongue-twistingly
yclept
(Mar-chello
Mah-stro-
yah-nee),
he
has
since
gone onward
and
upward,
in
a
succession
of
versatile
variations
on
the
laconic-Latin-lover
role,
to
become
one
of
international
filmdom's
reigning
male
sex
symbols,
and
to
set
a
singular
new
style
in
movie
stars—the
nonheroic
hero,
a
kind
of
modern
intellectual
Everyman.
Consummately
portraying
such
tortured
contemporary
types
as
a
world-weary
author
(in La
Notte),
a
cuckolded
husband
(in Divorce—Italian
Style)
and
a
cynical,
soul-searching
movie
director
(in 8
1/2),
he
has
come
to
epitomize
for
many
“the
plight
of
modern
man
himself,”
in
the
words
of
one
critic,
“loveless,
faithless,
rudderless,
spiritually
anesthetized
and
immobilized,
whirled
along
in
the
swift
and
shifting
crosscurrents
and
powerless
to
influence
or
arrest
the
order
of
events;
incapable
either
of
disciplining
his
desires
or
of
satisfying
his
needs, let
alone
those
of
his
fellow
man.”
Despite—or
perhaps
because
of—his
ambivalent
image
of
inward
impotence
and
predatory
potency,
Mastroianni
exudes
a
charismatic
magnetism
that
seems
to
bring
out
the
maternal,
as
well
as
the mating,
instinct
in
a
vast
international
following
of
female
fans
who
see
him
as
both
son
and
lover;
both
as
a
helpless,
all-too-human
little
boy
and
as
a
suave,
self-assured
man
of
the
world.
Not
surprisingly,
in
view
of
the
remarkable
verisimilitude
with
which
he
manages
to
invest
his
movie
roles,
the
resemblance
between
the
real-life
Mastroianni
and
his
reel-life
counterpart
is
far
more
than
skin-deep.
It
was
in
the
hope
of
illuminating
both
that
we
called
on
the
actor
at
his
home
in
Rome
with
our
request
for
an
exclusive
interview.
Having
heard
that
he
is
far
from
fond
of
being
buttonholed
by
journalists,
we
were
prepared
for
the
unconcealed
disinclination
he
displayed
at
first.
“Why
should
your
readers
care
what
Mastroianni
thinks?”
he
asked.
We
assured
him
that
they
would;
but
he
was
still
evasive
and
noncommittal.
After
a
few
more
days
of
telephonic
pursuit,
however,
he
finally
consented
to
see us
on
the
set
of
his
new
picture, Casanova
70 (in
which
he
plays
a
latter-day
Lothario
afflicted
with
impotence
which
he
can
overcome
only
by
staging
his
seductions
where
there's
an
imminent
danger
of
discovery).
We
began
our
conversations
on
the
spot,
speaking
in
Italian.
After
an
hour,
we
were
just
getting
warmed
up,
so
our
talks
continued
on
and
off
for
the next
week—on
the
set;
in
his downtown
apartment,
where
we
met
his
wife
of
15
years
and
their
teenage
daughter;
at
his
lavish
new
home,
still
under
construction,
on
the
outskirts
of
the
city,
where
we
sat
on
the
lawn
amid
a
clutter
of
statuary
and
antique
mosaics
which
he
couldn't
decide
where
to
put;
and
on
a
meandering
stroll
down
the
cobbled
side
streets
of
old
Rome,
with
periodic
stop-offs
for
espresso,
and
a
plate
of
pasta
at
the
Cafe
Rosati,
a
venerable
artists'
and
writers'
hangout
on
the
Piazza
del
Popolo.
We
found
him
to
be
a
fascinating
subject:
urbane,
ironic,
articulate,
introspective,
insightful,
outwardly
serene
but
charged
with
a
banked
intensity,
seemingly
suffused
with
ennui
yet somehow
still
boyishly
disarming.
Like
the
characters
he
so
often
plays,
he
is
a
complex,
enigmatic
and
paradoxical
man.
5
of
17
4/30/22,
14:44

‘8½':
Federico
Fellini's
Daring,
Self-Reflexive
Masterpiece
as
...
https://cinephiliabeyond.org/8%C2%BD-federico-fellinis-dari...
For
four
years
you've
been
considered
the
biggest
and
best
male
star
in
Europe,
and
a
major
box-office
attraction
around
the
world.
How
do
you
account
for your
change
of
fortune,
after
more
than
a
decade
in
minor
roles?
I
was
lucky
enough
to
get
a
film
that
had
a
meaning
to
me
personally—Fellini's La
Dolce
Vita.
The
public
also
liked
it,
which
naturally
pleased
me.
But
I
was
concerned
first with
myself.
I
looked
in
the
mirror
one
morning
and
said:
“You
have
only
so
many
good
years
left.
From
now
on
out,
you
do
only
parts
that
involve
you
personally,
that
have
meaning
in
your
life
and
the
lives
of
the
people
around
you.”
Since
then
it's been
a
boom.
When
you
speak
of
personal
involvement
in your
parts,
do
you
mean
that they're
autobiographical
in
a
sense,
that
you're
actually
like
the
characters
you
played
in
La
Dolce
Vita
and 8
1/2?
Yes.
I
did
those
two
Fellini
films
not
as
an
actor
but
as
a
man.
I took
part
because
I
needed,
as
a
man,
to
realize
myself
through
them.
They
are
the
best
mirror
of
my
real
self.
It's
not
that
I play
myself,
actually,
but
rather
more
that
I
am
looking
for
myself
in
the
roles.
There
is
this
synthesis
between
the roles
and
the
real
me—as
if
I'm
trying
myself
out
in
them. Who
knows
which
one
is
more
authentic?
Each
one
seems
so
at
the
time.
All
the
films
you've
made,
in
one
way or
another,
are
about
weak
men—psychologically,
socially
and
often
sexually
impotent.
Is
that
you?
Yes
and
no.
It's
part
of
me;
and
I think
it's
part
of
many
other
men
today.
Modern
man
is
not
as
virile
as
he
used
to
be. Instead
of
making
things
happen,
he
waits
for
things
to
happen
to
him.
He
goes
with
the
current.
Something
in
our
society has
led
him
to
stop
fighting,
to
cease
swimming
upstream.
What
is
that
something?
Doubt,
for
one
thing.
Doubt
about
his
place
in
society,
his
purpose
in
life.
In
my
country,
for example,
I
was
brought
up
with
the
thought
of
man
as
the
padrone,
the
pillar
of
the
family.
I
wanted
to
be
a
loving,
caring,
protective
man.
But
now
I
feel
lost;
the
sensitive
man
everywhere
feels
lost.
He
is
no
longer
padrone—either
of
his
own
world
or
of
his
women.
Why
not?
Because
women
are
changing
into
men,
and
men
are
becoming
women.
At
least,
men
are
getting
weaker
all
the
time.
But
much
of
this
is
man's
own
fault.
We
shouted,
“Women
are
equal
to
men;
long
live
the
Constitution!”
But
look
what
happened.
The
working
woman
emerged—angry,
aggressive,
uncertain
of
her
femininity.
And
she
multiplied—almost
by
herself.
Matriarchy,
in
the
home
and
in
the
factory
and
in
business,
has
made
women
into
sexless
monsters
and
piled
them
up
on
psychiatric
couches.
Instead
of
finding
themselves,
they
lost
what
they
had.
But
some
see this
now
and
are
trying
to
change
back.
Women
in
England,
for
example,
who
were
the
first
to
raise
the
standard
of
equality,
are
today
in
retreat.
6
of
17
4/30/22,
14:44

‘8½':
Federico
Fellini's
Daring,
Self-Reflexive
Masterpiece
as
...
https://cinephiliabeyond.org/8%C2%BD-federico-fellinis-dari...
How
about
American
women?
They
should
retreat,
but
they
don't.
I've
never
seen
so
many
unhappy,
melancholy
women.
They
have
liberty—but
they
are
desperate.
Poor
darlings,
they're
so
hungry
for
romance
that
two
little
words
in
their
ears
are
enough
to
crumble
them
before
your
eyes.
American
women
are
beautiful,
but
a
little
cold
and
too
perfect—too
well
brought
up,
with
the
perfume
and
the
hair
always
just
so
and
the
rose-colored
skin.
What
perfection—and
what
a
bore!
Believe
me,
it
makes
you
want
to
have
a
girl
with
a
mustache,
cross-eyes
and
runs
in
her
stockings.
I
got
to
know
a
few
of
them
when
I
was
there,
but
I
swear
it
was
like
knowing
only
one
woman.
Geraldine
Page
was
the
only
exception—and
an
exciting
one.
Are
Italian
women
different?
Thank
God,
yes.
In
what
way?
Their
smell,
for
one
thing.
Their
smell?
Yes,
their
body
fragrance.
Now,
I'm
not
playing
my
role
as
a
lover
here,
but
I
believe
I'd
be
able
to
tell
an
Italian
woman
from
any
other
woman,
even
in
the
dark,
just
by
her
natural
fragrance.
It's
a
sort
of homespun
odor.
I
love
it.
Apart
from
her
fragrance,
how
is
she
different
from
American
women?
She's
not
afraid
to
be
a
woman—not
yet,
anyway.
But
what
happened
to
women
in
America
is
beginning
to
take
place
in
Italy,
too,
and
I
don't
like
it.
I
don't
feel
tenderness
toward
this
new
kind
of
women.
I
wouldn't
even
want
to
have
children
by
them.
I
want
women
to
have
all
the
faults
and
weaknesses
they
always
had.
I
adore
them,
but
we
must
keep
them
in
their
place.
It's
presumptuous
for
a
woman
to
show
me
she
is
a
doctor
of
mathematics.
Comptometers
can do
that.
What's
more
subtle
and
difficult
is
to
know
how
to
make
a
man
feel
important.
You
don't
think
women
have the
right
to
a
career,
to
compete
with
men
in
the
professional
world?
Of
course,
they
must
evolve—but
not
away
from
being
women.
At
the
same
time,
I
admit
we
have
to
do
something
with
them
besides
give
them
babies.
In
Italy,
women
now
have
fewer
children
and
do
less
housework
than
ever.
This
makes
them
bored
and
a
terrible
weight
on
men.
Now,
I
like
to
have
a
woman
hang
on—but
not
to
suffocate
me.
So
today
she
needs
some
kind
of
occupation,
and
it's
right
for
her
to
want
to
be
on
man's
level.
My
logic
admits
this—but
my
instincts
tell
me
to
watch
out.
A
man
like
myself
fears
this
“contemporary
woman.”
She
is
conquering
something
important,
and
her evolution
is
exciting.
But
man
is
conquering
nothing;
indeed,
he's
losing
his
power,
his
virility,
even
his
intelligence.
Are
you
saying
this
is
true
of
all
men,
or just
Italian
men—or
perhaps
only
yourself?
Well,
so
much
depends
on
the
emotional
climate
in
which
you
were
raised.
You're
American.
I
speak
of
myself
and
my
own
country—an
old
country.
I remember
my
grandfather.
He
lived
to
be
90.
I
used
to
watch
him
and
admire
his
authority.
Where
has
all
that
gone?
What's
happened
to
that
kind
of
man?
Whatever
it
was
that
buried
him,
it
took
with
it
a
whole
era,
a
whole
way
of
life.
It
left
women
doing
some
of
the
things
he did;
and
this
causes
me
deep
anxiety.
But
perhaps
this
is
an era
in
which
we
all
feel
lost—a
period
of
transition
where
the
only
thing
that
keeps
man
going
is
habit.
But
here
again,
women
have
the
advantage.
They
believe
in
love,
and
we
men
don't
even
believe
in
that
anymore.
Once
men
dueled
over
women,
grand
dukes
fell
at
the
feet
of
ballerinas
and
whole
armies
chased
them.
But
when
a
man
chases a
woman
today,
we
say:
“What
luck—he
can
still
run.”
We
seem
to
have
forgotten
that
love
can
be
a
most
extraordinary
support
for
a
man.
A
man
in
love
is
master
of
the
world.
Even
though
love
costs
him
pain,
it's
a
marvelous
kind
of
suffering.
7
of
17
4/30/22,
14:44

‘8½':
Federico
Fellini's
Daring,
Self-Reflexive
Masterpiece
as
...
https://cinephiliabeyond.org/8%C2%BD-federico-fellinis-dari...
Does
it
have
to
cause
suffering?
Yes.
And
it
almost
always
ends
the
same:
with
disenchantment.
The
exception
is
rare,
rare.
Still,
your
friends
say
that
you fall
in
love
easily.
That's
true—but
only
on
the
level
of
fantasy.
In
my
imagination,
I
work
myself
up
to
a
fantastic
and
sublime
passion
for
a
woman.
Then
I
go
out
with
her.
But
since
I've
created
such
an
extraordinary
love
in
my
mind—which
isn't
real
and
exists
only
within
myself—I
soon
realize
she
isn't
exceptional
after
all.
Then
I
get
tired
and
go
looking
for
another
one.
You
understand?
I've
always
felt
I
lacked
the
capabilities
of
real,
serious
love.
For
me,
it's
always
a
game
in
which
I
pretend
to
love.
And
try
to
make
it
exceptional.
Maybe
one
should
love
without
imagining
too
much.
What's
ironic
is
that
the
same
thing
works
in
reverse.
Say
a
woman
meets
me
and
finds
me
attractive.
She
imagines
me
to
be
like
my
screen
image—the
great
lover.
But
I'm
not
a
lover
type,
not
in
the
conventional
sense,
anyway.
There's
no
erotic
charge
in
me.
In
any
case,
I
can't
assure
a
woman
that
I'll
be
able
to
give
her
what
she
wants,
because
what
she
wants—whatever
it
is—isn't
really
me.
Has
any
woman
ever
really
understood
you?
No,
never.
But
as
I
was
saying,
just
because
you're
a
famous
movie
star,
women
think
you
must
be
a
passionate
and
tireless
lover—especially
if
you're
Italian.
The
demands
are
terrible.
Not
even
a
superman
could
meet
them.
I
wish
women would
like
me
in
that
context
which
most
resembles
me.
I've
always
tried
to
do
screen
roles
that
weren't
for
studs
or
bulls.
You've
seen
the
films
I've
made: Bell'
Antonio, La
Dolce
Vita, 8
1/2.
None
of
the
protagonists
is
a
big
lover
who
can
take
a
woman
in
a
room
for
a
night
and
make
endless
love,
wham-bam
behind
a
door.
I
think
the
men in
my
films
are
much
more
normal,
even
though
they
possess
—what?—a
certain
confusion.
And
I've
always
sought
roles
that
weren't
domineering
over
women;
I'm
just
not
that
type.
Yet
one
critic
has
called
you
“the Clark
Gable
of
the
Sixties.”
Do
you
think
the
title
fits?
If
anything,
I'm
the
anti-Gable.
He
was
the type
of
hero
who
was
popular
yesterday.
Gable
and
others,
like
Gary
Cooper,
played
strong,
clean
men,
full
of
virtue
and
honesty. They
were
decisive
and
solid
and
knew
where
they
were
going.
Or
they
lived
in
a
world
which
presumed
that
a
he-man
always
knew
where
he
was
going.
But
today
we
don't
know
where
we're
going.
As
I
explained
before,
the
system
of
virtues and
morals
used
by
our
fathers
just
doesn't work
anymore.
It
ceased
working
some
time
ago,
but
now
we
admit
it
openly.
We
admit
our
weakness,
or
at
least
our
confusion.
As
Antonioni
said,
“Who's
a
hero
under
the
atom
bomb?
Or
who
isn't
one?”
So
in
my
roles
I
reveal
that
I
am
simply
human;
this
confession
of
the
human
condition
is
the
difference
between
myself
and
Gable.
In
this
sense,
I
play
myself.
He
played
a
myth—a
myth
that
was
credible
yesterday
but
I
think
not
today.
If
Gable
were
to
begin
again
with
the
same
image,
I
doubt
he
would
become
King
Gable.
Alberto
Moravia
has
compared
you
to
Dino,
the
protagonist
of
his
novel
‘The
Empty
Canvas.'
He
says
you both
epitomize
“the
neocapitalist
hero,
alienated
from
himself
and
his
society.”
Do
you
feel
this
is
true?
In
many
ways,
yes.
But
I
don't
think
I'm
any
kind
of
hero,
neocapitalist
or
otherwise.
If
anything,
I
am
an
antihero
or
at
the
most
a
nonhero.
Time
said
I
had
the
frightened,
characteristically
20th
century
look,
with
a
spine
made
of
plastic
napkin
rings.
I
accepted
this—because
modern
man
is
that
way;
and
being
a
product
of
my
time
and
an
artist,
I
can
represent
him.
If
humanity
were
all
one
piece,
I
would
be
considered
a
weakling.
I
hate
to
keep
bringing
up
my
grandfather,
but
I
can't
help
comparing
myself
to
him.
He
was
a
hero
to
me
in
a
way.
I
try
to
be like
him,
but
it's
no
use.
I have
a
farm
at
Lucca,
where
the
modern
world
has
not
yet
changed
the
order
of
things.
There
I
put
on
a
velour
jacket
like
they
used
to
wear,
and
the
servants
say,
“Buon
giorno,
Padrone.”
I
kid
myself
into
thinking
I'm
the
man
my
grandfather
was.
I
put
on
the
clothes
and
I play.
I
act
at
being
a
man.
The
illusion
gives
me
a
sense
of
belonging
to
the
past—which
is
very
much
more
real
to
me
than
the
present.
Why?
It
gives
me
strength—or
at
least
an
illusion
of
strength.
I
go
through
certain
periods
in
my
life
when
I
am
nourished
mainly
by
memories.
During
recent
years
I have
felt
an
increasing
desire
to
go
backward,
to
plunge
myself
into
my
infancy.
Every
other
day
I
go
to
see
my
mother,
and
sometimes
I
even
sleep
in
her
home.
It's not
just
seeing
my
mother:
It's a
drive
to
return
to
the
past,
as
though
a
man
such
as
myself,
dedicated
to
remembrance
of
dreams,
could
love
only
two
things
really
well:
his
own
mother
and
his
children—the
past
and
the
future.
The
present
is
something
you
flee
through
as
quickly
as
possible.
So
whatever
images
I
cling
to,
I'm
not
a
hero—on
or
off
the
screen.
My
type
just
happens to
have
come
into
fashion.
8
of
17
4/30/22,
14:44

‘8½':
Federico
Fellini's
Daring,
Self-Reflexive
Masterpiece
as
...
https://cinephiliabeyond.org/8%C2%BD-federico-fellinis-dari...
But
the
nonheroic
hero
is
certainly
nothing
new
in
films,
is
he?
Isn't
he?
Wouldn't
you
call
Charlie
Chaplin
a
classic
example
of
this
type?
No,
because
he
wasn't
a
hero
but
a
character
comedian,
even
though
he
was
a
leading
man.
Charlot
was
the
frontrunner
of
the
nonheroes,
who
have
since
become
a
common
tribe.
We
follow,
without
any
of
his
genius,
and
not
always
laughing.
Today
the
public
prefers
the
noncomical
nonhero,
just
as
they
prefer
the
imperfect
beauty
of
some
of
their
new
heroines—Jeanne
Moreau,
for
example.
Do
you
find
her
kind
of
beauty attractive?
Very
much.
Moreau
is
a
fragile,
desperate
woman—but
strong
at
the
same
time,
because
she's a
real
woman,
all
of
her.
She's
stupendous
also
where
it
counts—jealous,
demanding,
indulgent.
She
lives
and
lets
live,
without
confusing
love
and
eternity.
She's
one
of
the
few
women
I
know
who
would
be
worth
falling
in
love
with.
It
doesn't
matter
if
she doesn't
have
perfect
beauty;
she's
beautiful
all
the
same.
Have
you
seen
the
bags
under her
eyes?
Like
yours.
Yes.
Maybe
there's
an
affinity
between
our
two
natures.
Do
you
find
Sophia
Loren
equally
attractive?
No.
She's
also
very much
a
woman,
but
she
hasn't
Jeanne's
desperation.
She
has
a
femininity,
a
maternal
sense,
that
is
ancient
in
woman
but
rare
to
find
today.
She
has
a
force
one
can
find
in
one's
own
mother,
a
moral
strength
that
makes
her
fascinating.
I'd
say
Sophia
is
a
type
of
woman
that
in
a
short
while
will
no
longer
exist,
while
Jeanne
is
of
today.
I
feel
attracted
to
both
of
them—
but
in
different
ways.
To
Sophia
as
a
mother
image
and
to
Jeanne
as
a
lover?
To
Sophia
as
a
friend.
I've
taken
her
to
my
mother's
home
many
times.
She's the
only
actress
I've
been
tied
to
out
of
affection
for
more
than
ten
years. In
the
movie
world,
that's
quite
a
long
time.
Are
there
any
other
actresses
you
admire?
Greta
Garbo.
I
met
her
on a
recent
trip
to
New
York.
She
invited
me
to
visit
her
in
her
apartment.
I
suppose
she
was
curious
about
me.
She
is
a
very
sympathetic
and
extraordinary
woman.
We
talked
through
an
interpreter.
The
only
thing
I
understood
directly
was
when
she
looked
at
my
shoes
and
said:
“Ah,
Italian
shoes—beautiful.”
I
was
very
embarrassed,
because
they
were
English,
not
Italian.
But
to
make
her
happy
I
said
“Yes.”
What
else
did
you
talk
about?
Our
conversation
was
broken
off
by
a
harebrained
American
woman
who
said
to
Garbo,
“I
saw
you
in
films.
How
beautiful
you
were
in
your
epoch.”
This
made
Garbo
so angry
that
she
got
up
and
left.
She
was
right
to
do
it.
That
woman
should
never
have
said
that.
If
she
didn't
understand
that
much
about
Garbo,
she
was
stupid.
An
hour
later
Garbo
phoned
me
at
a
cocktail
party
to
say
she
was
sorry
to
have
left
that
way,
and
that
she
liked
meeting
me.
I
understand
her.
She
feels
very
alone, and
all
her
life
she's
been
afraid
of
people
and
crowds.
9
of
17
4/30/22,
14:44
‘8½':
Federico
Fellini's
Daring,
Self-Reflexive
Masterpiece
as
...
https://cinephiliabeyond.org/8%C2%BD-federico-fellinis-dari...
As
one
who's
been
mobbed
more
than
once
by
female
fans,
do
you
feel
that
way
yourself?
Well,
most
of
that
is
just
publicity.
I'm
not
actually
assaulted
by
women,
especially
in
Italy.
There
have
been
a
few
hysterical
mobs,
of
course.
But
mobs
generate
their
own
hysteria,
and
it
doesn't
really
have
anything
to
do
with
the
target
of
their
frenzy.
You
didn't
say
whether
you
like
it
or
not.
Of
course
I
don't
like
it.
Isn't
public
recognition
one
of
the
reasons
you
became
an
actor?
Not
that
kind
of
recognition.
Not
even
applause,
or
the
praise
of
my
peers.
No,
I became
an
actor
because
it
exalted
me,
even
as
a
child.
There
is
no
joy
quite
so
fulfilling,
so
exhilarating
as
the
extraordinary
emotion
one
feels
when
performing.
It's
equal
to
the
thrill
you
get
with
a
woman.
Nothing
else
can
compare
with
it.
Normally—and
I
think
most
actors
are
like
this—I
don't
feel
complete
except
when
acting.
After
it's
over,
I'm
incomplete
again.
Not
working
is
terrible.
But
at
the moment
when
they
cry
“Action!”
everything
you've
thought
about,
everything
you've
tried
to
foresee,
suddenly—in
a
flash—comes
together like
an
electric
spark.
Zzzst!
It's
the
act
of
creation,
when
all
the
elements
are
fused.
Would
you
call
yourself
an
instinctive
actor?
I
often
say
I
am,
because it
amuses
me;
it's
convenient
to
say
it;
otherwise
people
want
to
know
what
“system”
you
use,
how
you
think,
and
your
reasons.
Since
all
that
annoys
the
hell
out
of
me,
I say
I'm
“an
instinctive
actor.”
But
I
tell
you
as
a
friend,
it's not
so.
It
can't
be
so.
I have
to
foresee,
to
plan
everything,
big
and
little.
Fellini
has
said
that
you
have “a
supercharge
of
animal
heat”
that
invests
your
roles
with
life
even
before
you
speak.
Wasn't
he
talking
about
your
acting
instinct?
Sure.
But
what
sort
of
animal
does
he
mean?
An actor
isn't
a
trained
horse
that
goes
into
its
act,
because
a
horse
can't
act.
The
personage
must
mature
within
you.
But
not
by
study.
I
don't
study
a
damn
thing.
It's
my
subconscious
that
does
the work.
Once
I've
read
the
script,
and
once
I've
isolated
the
character—which
I
always
seek
to
resemble
me
somewhat—it
begins
to
grow
within
me
during
the
day,
no
matter
what
I
do—like
a
parasite.
So
little
by
little
I
assimilate
it—or
vice
versa.
It
comes
through
the
instinct,
yes,
because
this
is
inevitable.
But
not
through
study.
Take
an
example:
If
I
have
to
play
the
part
of
a
madman,
I
don't
go
to
an
insane
asylum
to
study
madmen.
This
doesn't
accomplish
anything;
it
will
lead
to
a
mere
imitation.
If
your
character
in
the
script
is
written
well
and
involved
in
real
situations,
the
madness
of
the
role
will
come
out
by
itself.
It
will
mature
within
you,
animating
your
voice
and
your
body
of
its
own
volition.
That
sounds
like
the
Method.
I
don't
know
anything
about
methods
or
systems
or schools.
But
you
must
make
sense
of
all
the
elements
that
motivate
the
mind
of
a
character.
You
must
select
the
best
in
order
to
better
reach
the
public,
calculating
and
using
the
effect.
When
I
prepare
for
a
scene,
I
reflect
much
on
what
I
have
to
do.
Much.
I
study
the
gestures
and
facial
expressions,
everything.
This
is
a
technical
job,
not
instinctive,
and
it's
something
an
actor
must
do.
Similarly,
a
painter
doesn't
work
by
instinct
alone;
he
calculates
his
colors
before
freeing
himself
into
creative
action.
An
artist,
like
an
actor,
must
meditate
deeply
what
he
does—perhaps
leaning
more
on
instinct
than
on
culture.
That's
the
main
point.
I'm
not a
cultured
actor.
I'm
more
instinctive
than
cultured.
When
the
chucker
goes
“chock,”
I
let
myself
go,
and
from
there—bzzzt!—I'm
off.
Then
something
unforeseen
happens,
some
small
thing
that
gives
you
10
of
17
4/30/22,
14:44

‘8½':
Federico
Fellini's
Daring,
Self-Reflexive
Masterpiece
as
...
https://cinephiliabeyond.org/8%C2%BD-federico-fellinis-dari...
the
slightest
shudder.
Something
new
and
unexpected
occurs;
it's
that
which
gives
you
a
sense
of
creation.
Do
these
unforeseen
occurrences
include
taking
liberties
with
the
script?
Well,
I
shouldn't
say
this,
but
I
never
study
the
lines
I recite.
I
read
the
script
two
or
three
times,
think
about
it
a
little,
then
I
throw
it
away
and
can
never
find
it
again.
Then,
at
the
last
minute,
I
say
to the
assistant
director:
“What's
my
line?”
The
exact
words
are
not
important;
that's
a
mechanical
element.
I
never
say
the
exact
dialog.
Often
I
change
the
words.
I
like
to
abandon
myself
to
the
part;
if
the
character
has
matured
sufficiently
within
me,
the
words
come
out
by
themselves.
So
there's
a
kind
of
truth
harnessed
at
the
last
moment,
as
it
once
was
in
the
commedia
dell'
arte,
when the
actors
improvised
their
lines
on
the
stage.
You
began
your
own
career
as
a
stage
actor;
but
you
haven't
done
a
play
in
nine
years.
Why
not?
Lack
of
good
plays.
Where
is
the
avant-garde
theater
in
Italy?
Osborne, Ionesco,
Miller—always
the
same.
Actually,
Miller
asked
me
to
do
After
the
Fall.
When
it
didn't
come
off,
I wasn't
upset.
I'd
already
played
the
role—and
better,
too—in 8
1/2.
You
feel
that
Guido,
the
director
in
Fellini's 8
1/2,
is
the
same
role
as
Miller's
Quentin—only
better?
Don't
you
think
it
has
more
humanity—that
it's
more
universal?
I
do.
Also,
Guido
says
more
about
the
loneliness
of
the
intellectual,
his
incapacity
to
love
and
communicate
with
others,
and
the
resultant
aridity
that's
the
terrible
burden
of
our
lives
today.
Do
you
feel,
then,
that 8
1/2 is
a
work
superior
to After
the
Fall?
Much
superior.
Not
only
because
of
content,
but
also
because
it's
in
cinema.
If
you
know
what
you're
doing,
if
you
have
means
and
the
talent,
films
can
be
invested
with
more
humanity
than
theater.
They
can
reach
deeper
into
human
beings.
But
as
a
performer,
don't
you
miss
the
applause
of
a
live theater
audience?
No,
why
should
I?
Does
a
painter
need
immediate
applause?
Isn't
eventual
acclaim
enough?
Besides,
after
creating
a
role,
you
want
to
do
something
else—not
the
same
thing
night
after night.
An
actor
needs
to
renew
himself.
But
I
don't
mean
I'm
antitheater.
In
fact,
I
am
going
to
do
a
musical
shortly
in
Rome,
on the
life
of
Rudolph
Valentino.
Can
you
sing?
I'm
going
to
try—even
though
they
say
I'm
tone
deaf. What
does
it
matter?
I
want
to
have
some
fun.
Also, I
like
the
prospect
of
finding
new
dimensions
in
the
personality
of
Valentino.
Let's
see
if
there
isn't
more
to
him
than
the
myth of
the
great
lover.
The
success
of
a
type
like
Valentino
or
Marilyn
Monroe
is
inevitably
dramatic,
tragic,
grotesque—because
the
private
lives
of
these
people
are
almost
always
impoverished.
Imagine
the
effort
it
must have
taken
for
Valentino
to
convince
himself
that
he
was
really
like
his
myth—or,
even
worse,
not
like
his
myth.
I'm
sure
he
made
very
little
love.
That
makes
you
laugh?
It
makes
me
cry.
Will
your
portrayal
of
Valentino
be
as
self-exploratory
as
the
parts
you've played
on
the
screen?
11
of
17
4/30/22,
14:44

‘8½':
Federico
Fellini's
Daring,
Self-Reflexive
Masterpiece
as
...
https://cinephiliabeyond.org/8%C2%BD-federico-fellinis-dari...
Perhaps.
We'll
have
to
wait
and
see.
Last
year,
in
a
dramatic
change
of
pace
after your
many
roles
as
the
world-weary
Latin
lover,
you
turned
in
a
remarkable
performance
as
a
bearded,
bespectacled
socialist
labor
leader
in The
Organizer.
Did
you
see
yourself
in
this
part,
too?
Very
much
so.
That
film
was
particularly
dear
to
me.
It had
a
profound
human
message,
and
the
role
of
the
professor
was
beautiful.
Are
you
a
socialist
yourself?
I'm
the
son
of
workers.
What
else
could
I
be?
I'll
admit
I'm
a
rose-water
socialist—that
is,
I'm
not
active.
I
don't
belong
to the
party
and
I
avoid
involvement,
because
it
means
compromise.
So
I
stand
in
the window
and
watch.
But
I
vote
socialist,
because
in
our
affluent
society
it
seems
logical
that
all
this
largesse
should
be
spread
around
a
little
more
equitably.
Those
are
generous
sentiments
coming
from
someone
who
is
said
to
earn
$300,000
per
picture.
Madonna
mia!
Is
it
that
much?
Isn't
it?
If
I
told
you,
the
tax
collector
would
assume it
was
a
lie
and
double
it.
It's
terrible
here.
Nobody
can
be
honest. They
figure
you're
a
liar
from
the
start.
You're
also
said
to
have
received
many
offers
of
$500,000 a
picture
to
work
in
Hollywood.
Do
you
plan
to
accept
any
of
them?
Maybe.
I
can't
decide.
Why
not?
The
idea
of
working
in
Hollywood
troubles
me.
Apart
from
the
fact
that
I
don't
understand
English
very
well,
I
just
don't
understand
the
people
there.
I
don't
understand
why
someone
like
Marlon
Brando—who
is
a
great
actor—does
films
like Mutiny
on
the
Bounty.
And
those
Westerns!
Why
are
Americans
so
obsessed
with
Westerns?
Is
it
a
problem
for
them?
Why
doesn't
Brando,
who
has
a
great
talent,
make
films
about
the
lives
of
people
in
New
York,
or
Chicago,
or
St.
Louis—and
not about
men
on
South
Sea
islands
and
those
who
live
in
the
mythological
world
of
the
cowboy?
Are
you
against
escapist
entertainment?
Of
course
not.
People
have
always
gone
to
movies
for
escape
and
relaxation.
But
they
go
especially
if
it
also
has
a
meaning
for
them,
if
it
is
rooted
in
their
lives
and
touches
on
their
own
problems.
Comedy
can
do
this.
Take
Chaplin,
for
example,
or Divorce
—Italian
Style.
That
was
funny,
but
it
dealt
with
a
serious
problem
in
Italy.
What
are
your
own
feelings
about
divorce,
Italian
style—the
institution,
not
the
movie?
12
of
17
4/30/22,
14:44

‘8½':
Federico
Fellini's
Daring,
Self-Reflexive
Masterpiece
as
...
https://cinephiliabeyond.org/8%C2%BD-federico-fellinis-dari...
It
doesn't
exist.
The
Church
originally
prohibited
divorce
with
the
aim
of
making
marriage
important
and
beautiful.
Yet
this
has
had
the
opposite
effect.
Adultery
is
rife
and
no one
takes
the
marriage
contract
seriously,
because
the
element
of
choice
has
been
precluded.
Terrible
things
come
from
it.
Intolerable
marriages
end
up
in
second
unions
out
of
wedlock.
Children
born
from
these
grow
up
nameless,
filled
with
awful
complexes
about
their
illegitimacy.
How
do
you
feel
about
the
Church's
stand
on
birth
control?
It's
ridiculous,
obsolete.
I
cannot
believe
that
those
bishops,
sitting
in
the
Vatican
Council,
are
not
wise
men.
Surely
they
see
the
needs
of
the
contemporary
world.
The
rhythm
method,
which
the Church
accepts,
simply
doesn't
work
out.
On
the “right”
days
one
may
not
feel
like
making
love
at
all.
Or
if
a
wife
tells
her
husband
she's
having
a
“forbidden”
phase,
he
may
take
up
with
a
tart
for
the
night,
which
enrages
and
alienates
his
wife.
It's
the
cause
of
countless
separations.
Many
movie
marriages
wind
up
on
the
rocks.
Why
has
yours
lasted?
I've
accepted
my
wife's
defects
and
she's accepted
mine.
This
is
out
of
sufferance
and
I
suppose
because
we're
modern
about
it.
It's
useless
to
try and
escape
ourselves.
Maybe
we're
not
ideal
together;
but
maybe
we
are.
We're
both
full
of
defects,
many
defects.
Maybe
we
weren't
made
to
be
together;
but
for
this
very reason
it
might
be
too
easy
not
to
stay
together.
So
we
say,
“Let's
stick
it
out
all
the
same.”
It's
a
kind
of
game
we
want
to
make
work.
Does
your
Catholicism
have
anything
to
do
with
why
you
remain
married?
No,
I'm
not
a
real
Catholic,
anyway—even
though
I
am
religious.
Jesus
Christ
is
an
admirable
example,
but
he's
too
remote
from
men
of
today
to
be
a
model.
Or
he's too
much
of
one
to
be
understood
and
followed.
A
man
who
dies
for
others
is
moving
and
admirable,
but
how
many
followers
can
he
have
in
a
world
filled
with
people
who
will
hardly
help
you
across
the
street,
let
alone
die
for
you?
How
do
you
feel
about
death?
Are
you
afraid
of
it?
The
thought
of
it
does
bother
me
a
bit.
Would
you
like
to
be
immortal?
Are
you
making
an
offer?
If
so,
I'd
like
to
remain
eternally
35
or
36—mature,
but
still
young
and
powerful,
like
a
bull.
The
idea
of
growing
old
and
feeble
is
extremely
annoying.
I'm
also
unsettled
by
the
thought
of
shifting
over
to
spirit
form
and
floating
about
like
that.
Spirit
form?
You
believe
in
a
life
after death?
Truthfully,
no.
If
I
did,
life
would
be
more
noble,
more
interesting,
because
it
would
have
an
ultimate
goal—that
of
continuing.
If
I
were
a
profound
Catholic
and
believed
in
the
afterlife
of
the
soul,
I'd
be
a
man
of
greater
force
and
more
clear-minded,
because
I'd
have
a
precise
purpose
to
prepare
myself
for.
But
since
I fear
everything
will
end
with
death,
I
say,
“What
do
I
care?”
Of
course,
this
leads
to
living
in
a
negative
manner,
because
the
end,
after
all,
is
the
end. Over
and
out.
You
fear
death;
do
you
also
fear life?
I
fear
the
decisions
of
life.
Matters requiring
solution
frighten
me,
because
I'm
not
able
to
do
it. Proposals
for
work
also
frighten
me.
I've
offers
for
films
from
everywhere—too
many.
I
agree
to
them—but
then
I
run
off
and
hide.
For
example,
I
told
you
I
was
doing
Rudolph
Valentino
for
fun;
and
it's
true.
But
there's
another
reason.
By
accepting
this
theatrical
offer,
I
don't
have
to
worry
about
the
others.
And
so
I have
a
modicum
of
peace
for
a
small
time.
Especially
from
the
Americans.
When
I get
their
fantastic
offers,
I
think:
“What
are
they
saying?
They're
crazy.
I'm
not
that
important.”
Still,
if
you
could
begin
again,
wouldn't
it
be
as
an
actor?
I'd
be
both
an
actor
and
an
architect.
I
would
do
a
film,
then
build
a
building,
then
a
film—and
so
on.
The
Seagram's
Building
in
New
York
took
my
breath
away.
I'd
like
to
build
one
in
Rome,
a
palazzo
of
glass
and
crystal
that
would
also
take
people's
breath
away.
Like
a
great
sculpture.
Not
to
make
money,
though.
It
would
probably
lose
money.
But
it
would
be
there
for
me
to
stand
before
it
and
say:
“Look,
there
is
something
I
did
which
I
love
and
which
will
last—at
least
a
little
longer
than
myself.”
13
of
17
4/30/22,
14:44






‘8½':
Federico
Fellini's
Daring,
Self-Reflexive
Masterpiece
as
...
https://cinephiliabeyond.org/8%C2%BD-federico-fellinis-dari...
Martin
Scorsese
lovingly
recalls
his
first
encounters
with
Federico
Fellini's
films
and
their
influence
on
his
own
work.
The
Secrets
of
Legendary
Film
Directors—Federico
Fellini,
Ingmar
Bergman,
David
Lean,
Akira
Kurosawa,
John
Schlesinger,
Sergei
Bondarchuk,
Franco
Zeffirelli,
Billy
Wilder
and
Mike
Nichols
discuss
the
state
of
filmmaking
in
1969
and
how
they
got
their
start,
in
a
special
presentation
from
the
42nd
Academy
Awards.
Narrated
by
Gregory
Peck.
Playboy
Interview:
Federico
Fellini, February
1966(https://www.dropbox.com/s/91eg0lytyl1lem5/2%20-%20February%201966.pdf?raw=1).
(https://cinephiliabeyond.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/gVi0XLQ.jpg?x75244)
The
enigmatic
opening
sequence
in
Fellini's 8
1/2 is
one
of
the
most
captivating
and
ambiguous
openings
ever
captured
on
film.
Here
are
some
great
photos
taken
behind-the-scenes
during
production
of
Federico
Fellini's 8
1/2.
Photographed
by
Tazio
Secchiaroli
©
Cineriz,
Francinex.
Intended
for
editorial
use
only.
All
material
for
educational
and
noncommercial
purposes
only.
14
of
17
4/30/22,
14:44
‘8½':
Federico
Fellini's
Daring,
Self-Reflexive
Masterpiece
as
...
https://cinephiliabeyond.org/8%C2%BD-federico-fellinis-dari...
15
of
17
4/30/22,
14:44

‘8½':
Federico
Fellini's
Daring,
Self-Reflexive
Masterpiece
as
...
https://cinephiliabeyond.org/8%C2%BD-federico-fellinis-dari...
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16
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‘8½':
Federico
Fellini's
Daring,
Self-Reflexive
Masterpiece
as
...
https://cinephiliabeyond.org/8%C2%BD-federico-fellinis-dari...
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